The Girl From Beyond
by Basmathgirl
Summary: The actions of a certain someone make Donna's job description much more complicated. Can she and the Doctor even survive this?
1. Chapter 1

**Characters:** Donna/Ten, Rose, OCs

**Dark_fest prompt:** I loved him so much I couldn't let him live without me

**Summary:** Donna's job description just got more complicated.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of these characters, although I share a few letters of their names.

**A/N:** the dark_fest prompt list was suggested by **joelthecat**, and my angst will be eternally grateful.

**A/N2:** writing this was a pure experiment, not helped by the fact my laptop died and I completely lost the first draft. I hope it was worth the effort.

**A/N3:** Please heed this** WARNING!** Rose lovers might want leave via the exits here... here... and here. This really isn't for you.

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><p><strong>The Girl From Beyond<strong>

**Part 1**

.

Donna stood on top of a pile of rubble, panting heavily from the exertion and finally crying with the sheer effort of just standing there. The blooded dagger in her left hand fell from her grasp and hit the bricks and mortar beneath her feet.

The taste of dust in her mouth made her spit to the side. What wouldn't she give for a proper drink of water? She was on the verge of being prepared to sell anything, even her body.

She looked down at the body that once gained her so much unwanted attention. Lifting up a stick thin arm she grimaced at the state she was currently in. Hadn't she once abused someone for being a long streak of nothing? That had seemed such a long time ago. It fact it was a whole lifetime ago; and she knew exactly who's life to measure it by.

A loud noise to her left roused her from her reflective thoughts. It startled her but she knew from experience it would cause her no harm. They were merely trying to flush people out. Too late, buster! She was already standing in an unguarded place, and all because of that stupid girl…

Except she wasn't a girl anymore; had long since passed being able to earn the label of girl. She'd also lost the label of being a real blonde, but that was by the by. The reason Donna now stood on top of the rubble was because she hated Rose Tyler with every ounce of her being.

Rose may be considered an absolute darling by someone, but it wasn't ever likely to be her. Not after everything that had happened to young Tamis. Yet again Donna bit down on the overwhelming urge to just give in and shout at the world; this world, that was no part of her official life. This was only her home by proxy. She'd earned the right to fight for this place, to gouge out a niche for herself to hide in and possess when the need presented itself. Fortunately that need had not occurred very often.

The wind suddenly picked up and blew tendrils of her hair across her face, blotting out her ability to see very far. Frantically she lifted up a hand to sweep the offending hair out of her eyes, and then she gasped.

Standing only five metres away stood Rose Tyler, looking the very picture of innocence as she changed position in order to retain her footing. Donna glared at her, unwilling to break the silence between them; knowing that to do so would make her appear weak in this woman's eyes. Not that she was aware that Rose cared about her beyond using her to gain information and reach her goal. Her goal had always been the same: to get to the Doctor.

Donna watched several emotions flit over Rose's face as she obviously warred with herself how best to ask her question. She even tried a little bit of sticking her tongue between her teeth in what was evidently a tried and tested method of getting whatever she wanted. Well it wasn't going to work on Donna Noble. If the blonde hair had no effect on her what on earth made Rose think the teeth thing would? Donna almost shook her head in wonder; but still she waited, wanting to know what this woman would decide could possibly work in order to wheedle information out of her.

Eventually Rose made her move. "Hello, Donna," she greeted her in as cheery a voice as she could muster. "Do you remember me?"

"Just about," Donna stated evenly, loathe to show any emotion apart from detached interest.

With a florid movement, Rose brought the arm she'd been holding behind her body to the fore; and Donna was completely unsurprised to see a gun in her hand. "Good. Then I won't have to introduce myself again. I think you know what I want," Rose stated.

All sorts of snippy replies flittered through Donna's mind; all of them pithy enough to amuse her without doing anything more than twist the corner of her mouth. "Do you?" she answered sarcastically instead.

A frown immediately appeared on Rose's face as she did her best impression of the Oncoming Storm. "Yes! Don't play your silly games with me, Donna. Just tell me. Where is he?" she demanded with as much menace as she could gather.

"If I did know… which I don't… why would I tell you?" Donna asked in return.

"Because I've got a fucking big gun pointing at your head, you stubborn ginger bitch!" Rose almost spat at her as she raised her gun to aim straight at the centre of Donna's head.

Well, Donna assumed that was where she was trying to aim. It was the logical place after all. The insult didn't worry her, since it wasn't the first time she had heard it, although it might be the last. She raised her hands very slightly in surrender; one of the oddities of travelling with the Doctor was that you quickly learned how to surrender whilst remaining pissed off about it. "That's true," she stated.

"What is?" Rose was very clearly confused by the answer.

So Donna carefully enunciated, "It is true that I am a stubborn ginger bitch." She then waited to see if Rose would pull the trigger out of spitefulness or if she'd try again.

Trying again won out. "Donna, do yourself a favour and tell me where he is," Rose yelled out.

"Surely I'd be doing myself a favour by not telling you, because then you'd be forced to keep me alive in case I do know," Donna argued as the wind picked up again and debris started to be thrown about. Any second now, she told herself…

Rose moved both hands to hold the gun steady and glared intently at Donna, as various possible scenarios worked their way through her mind. She cocked the trigger. "Tell me now!"

At that precise moment a large piece of broken tree branch hit Rose on the left-hand side of her back, causing her to spin in shock; and Donna dropped to her haunches in order to pick up the blade she had earlier dropped. A shot rang out and a bullet ricocheted off what remained of a once impressive brick wall. Donna used the distraction to throw the blade at Rose, catching her on her right hand; and she instantly winced with the pain.

"You got me!" she cried out in shock. "You've sliced my hand!"

"You'll heal," Donna retorted without much compassion. "The TARDIS is still good for something."

Rose gasped. "You can still hear her! Why can you do that but I can't?"

"I have no idea. Perhaps I'm the designated emergency driver," Donna drily replied. "Does it really matter?"

"What do you mean 'designated emergency driver'? Are you saying you can drive the TARDIS?" Rose stood incensed with emotion before her, holding her wounded hand close to her stomach.

"Well, d'uh!" Donna drew out the syllables. "Somebody else needs to know how to pilot her." And then she realised what this meant and she wanted to laugh loudly. His precious Rose had no idea how to pilot his beloved TARDIS! Wasn't that a turn up for the books? It was no good, she couldn't hold in her mirth at the irony of it, and she swivelled on the spot to laugh heartedly.

"It isn't funny!" Rose protested petulantly. "I need to get back to him; he needs me."

Donna quirked a disbelieving eyebrow at Rose as she stopped giggling. "Obviously," she remarked. "That's why you brought the Q'Larkons with you to rip the town apart. He needed you to kill all these people."

"It wasn't like that! They were coming here to deal with rebellious troublemakers, and they offered me a ride," Rose defended herself, fighting back her tears of frustration.

"You mean those freedom fighters we were helping out to shake off the yoke of oppression, who took us in and treated us like we were their own? Yes I bet they were trouble." Donna practically sneered at Rose and her naivety when faced with the prospect of getting back to the Doctor. She then glanced towards the smoke that still pinpointed where Tamis had been waiting, hoping he had been killed instantly rather than suffered a long and lingering death. "I'm sorry Tamis," she murmured.

"Who's Tamis?" Rose unexpectedly asked.

Donna was startled out of her thoughts. "He's our… he was our… He was just a little boy I knew," she admitted. "Gone now." No wonder the Doctor had said that nothing could replace the people he had loved and lost, that there would forever be a hole where they once resided in his hearts. She understood that clearly now, and she regretted that she had forced him to accept Jenny.

"What did he look like?" Rose astounded her by asking.

Why the hell did she care? Was this another ruse to get her to talk? Donna reluctantly held out a hand and said, "About this tall. Cheeky grin and smiling eyes."

"Sounds like he was nice," Rose replied sympathetically.

Donna answered simply, "Yes." She could feel a storm building as she contemplated her next move. "We need to seek shelter."

"I was holed up over there," Rose told her, pointing towards what looked like a pile of corrugated roofing.

"Then that's where we'll go," Donna replied; and waited for Rose to lead the way.

* * *

><p><em>Donna looked up over the hilltop away from the setting sun. Her eyes squinted as she looked for evidence they were coming back. To her relief, the horizon was empty.<em>

_Crawling back down again, she smiled at her young companion. "Shall we go and get something to eat, Tamis?" she asked._

"_Yes please," he replied. His stomach growled to emphasise his words. His little face twisted in concentration as he fought the inevitable question._

"_I wonder what goodies we'll be able to find," she pondered. God only knew where she would find something other than dry biscuits. It hadn't occurred to her to bring anything else._

_It had been a strange day. In some ways it was not out of the ordinary, but in others, it was. She didn't, for example, normally end up looking after a small boy. A big over-grown boy, yes. A small boy, no. And the strangest thing of all was that she was beginning to like this pseudo-motherhood._

"_Donna!" Tamis called out in fear, and he gripped her arm tightly. "Something is happening!"_

_She sought to reassure him, hugging him closely. "We'll be alright; we're always alright…"_

_That was when the shells started landing, ripping their hidey-hole to shreds and the small boy within it, leaving her grasping at nothing more than bloody pieces of cloth._

* * *

><p>Donna shook herself awake with a loud sob, frantically seeking out the boy who was no longer there.<p>

"Let go of my sleeve!" yelled out Rose. "What are you playing at, you daft cow!"

"Sorry; bad dream," she excused herself, mortified to find she had grabbed Rose defensively in her sleep. She then took the bull by the horns and asked the question she'd been dying to ask. "What happens next, Rose; if you find him?"

Rose beamed with confidence back at her. "I leave with him, and we live happily ever after."

Feeling like playing devil's advocate, Donna asked, "What happens if he says no?"

"Then I shall make sure he can never say no," Rose said with determination.

Donna snorted her scorn. "What, you're going to remove the word completely from his mind?"

Rose fixed her gaze fairly and squarely on her. "No, I shall make sure he can never say another word." She hugged her retrieved gun to her chest in emphasis.

'Oh shit!' thought Donna, and tried to ease herself away from the madness. Could being thrown through the Void do such a thing to a person, even if they volunteered to do so? If she ever got the chance to ask him, she mentally put that question at the top of the list to run passed the Doctor.

It was beginning to feel like an increasingly big 'if'.

Donna knew as she sat looking at Rose's gun that, if push came to shove, she would take that bullet for him; there was no doubt in her mind. The universe couldn't do without the Doctor, but it could do without Donna Noble quite easily.

Squaring her shoulders, Donna slapped her knees as she stood up, and announced, "Come on then. Let's see if we can find him." She really hoped luck was on her side.

.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** my muse obviously wanted this to be more than a one-shot! This contains more of what someone dubbed "psycho!Rose"

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><p><strong>Part 2<strong>

.

The sun was quite high in the sky by the time they reached the outer limits of Small Tundle. It wasn't much of a place; hence the addition of 'Small' in the name; but it had been home to Donna for a while now.

It wasn't much to look at either; just a pile of sandy coloured rocks within a sandy coloured landscape. But the TARDIS was near here; Donna could still feel her reaching for any crumb of companionship. Should she risk leading Rose in that direction? It might be a decision that would easily backfire on all of them. Hadn't Rose once sabotaged the TARDIS before in her quest to return to the Doctor? If sabotage was the right word to use for ripping out the heart of the TARDIS and absorbing unnecessary amounts of the Vortex. All she knew was that the Doctor had tried hard not to be bitter about losing a life because of it. Donna wasn't at all sure she could be as magnanimous given the same circumstances; but then that's what made him so special. He always gave people a second chance.

"Wait there," she ordered Rose, and cautiously approached one of the known entranceways. She didn't want Rose to know about any of the other less easily defendable entrances. Getting as close to a slab of corrugated iron as she could, she lightly tapped out a code on it using a pebble and then patiently waited.

Within two minutes a figure swathed in cloth around his face appeared nearby, and he yelled out, "What do you want?"

Donna stood with purpose and replied, "Spam and chips!"

The figure chuckled loudly and rushed at her, engulfing her in a hug. "Good to see you!" he cried. "Where are the others?"

"There's only me now, and I found her out by the blocks. I came back to see if anything has turned up yet," she answered, squeezing him back.

"Does this mean I'm in with a chance now?" he queried.

"Don't even think about it yet. You know the rules," she admonished him. She then turned to Rose to explain, "There's a three day rule."

"For what?" Rose inevitably asked, but Donna and the man were disappearing into a hole so she quickly followed.

She followed them down a dingy, musty tunnel that had been inexpertly dug out by someone; and it took all her concentration not to accidentally walk into rocks jutting out the walls and ceiling, and to avoid getting snagged up by the shoulder strap of her gun. From her position behind them she could hardly make out a word that Donna and the stranger were saying to each other when they decided to speak, which wasn't very often.

After some minutes they arrived in a squat room that couldn't have been bigger than five paces one way and seven paces the other. It took Rose a while to realise that there were three people already sitting in there. The biggest clue was when they all greeted Donna like a long lost friend. A wizened old woman suddenly grasped Rose by the arm, startling her in the process.

"No, Izzy. You can't take her for your son," Donna told her while she prised the fingers off Rose's arm. "We've been through this before."

Izzy softly laughed with a confident smile. "Then I'll give you to him in three days when your husband doesn't show up!"

"Not 'when'; 'if', Izzy," Donna pointed out. "And I still reserve the right to say 'no thank you'."

Izzy shook her head in disagreement. "We shall see. You won't be able to resist forever," she said.

Donna decided to ignore this, and announced to the room, "This is Rose, everyone. She is an old friend of the Doctor's." She then turned to Rose to make her introductions. "Rose, this is Izzy. That's Wanda sitting with her husband Len, and this lump of rump that brought us in here is Vic."

A small girl rushed out from nowhere and grasped Donna around the waist, pressing her face as far as she could into Donna's stomach. "You came back! I thought I'd lost you too," the girl sniffled as she mumbled into Donna's flesh.

"Can't get rid of me that easily," Donna retorted; but her tone was more than friendly.

Rose was astonished by how Donna was held in such high regard by these people. She would never have believed it if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes. Rose was about to ask a question about why this was happening when Wanda stood up and placed a protective arm around Donna.

"Sit down; you need to rest," Wanda insisted. "And don't tell me that you are fine!"

The little girl hung on as Donna was manoeuvred onto a seat. It was only then that Rose saw the blood, and she gasped loudly in shock.

"It's nothing. I'll live," Donna explained; but Vic growled angrily at her.

"Let's get you cleaned up and then you can pretend all you like with me," he warned her.

"Would you believe me if I said they look worse who did this to me?" she tried to tell him in order to ward off his concern.

"No," he replied, but he smiled at her anyway.

* * *

><p>They were taken further into the burrow, and shown into a tiny room that barely held a single sized bed. Rose was immediately ordered to sit next to the bed for the first hour while Donna rested on the bed. She was eventually relieved of her thankless duty after two hours by Wanda, who shushed Rose towards the first room they'd entered.<p>

Thinking Rose had vacated the area; Wanda leant in towards Donna and asked hesitantly, "Did you lose it?"

Donna nodded her reply. "I think so," she whispered. "It was for the best, I suppose."

"Your husband would be upset if he was here and he knew," Wanda commiserated.

"Good job he isn't then," Donna answered, holding back sudden tears. "I wish I knew where he is."

Wanda rubbed a consoling hand on her arm. "He'll come back; you know he will."

"Just like Tamis did," Donna utterly forlornly; and the two of them shared some tears.

Rose's head buzzed with questions, but the one uppermost was 'why hadn't they mentioned the Doctor since they first arrived here?' Donna must know that would be her only concern. It wasn't that she didn't feel any sympathy for her and her obvious losses, but none of it had much to do with her personal quest; and there had been the promise of help. She was sure even more than ever that the Doctor needed her in light of this neglect from Donna as his companion. Now _she'd_ gone out of her way to make sure the Doctor was always safe with her, whereas all Donna was worried about was some kid she probably hardly knew, and the bloke she had run off and married, leaving the Doctor on his own. Her anger momentarily seethed on his behalf. What exactly was Donna playing at?

Donna lay back down on her bed, finally giving in to her exhaustion. She had got Rose to somewhere that was safe; away from the possible interests of the men's camp that would have ripped her to shreds within seconds, and had followed what she knew would have been the Doctor's request for his friend. Her job here was done until… if… he ever turned up back at the burrow. She rested a hand lightly on her stomach and tried not to think about the fact she had lost two children in as many days; there would be plenty of time to mourn later, once her body had healed sufficiently.

Several thoughts flittered through her head as she tried to sleep. Would she ever be able to return to normality? That is, what passed for normal for Donna Noble? That place in the dim and distant future where it looked like Rose would get her Time Lord and she, in all likelihood, could only hope for a place in the TARDIS. The reality was more likely to be back on earth with her mother, in a life that would spiral down into spinsterhood and sole carer for a mother with Alzheimer's or something equally humbling.

Wanda soothed a hand over her forehead. "Try not think about it, Donna," she softly ordered her. "Think of the good times."

So Donna tried to; she honestly did.

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><p>She was brought out of her fitful slumbers by someone shaking her awake. "Where is he, Donna? Tell me where he is. I need to know," the voice insisted. Her arm was then tugged.<p>

"Don't take me away! Please don't take me away from my husband! I won't go to the men's camp… my three days aren't up yet!" she yelled out in her half-woken, half-delirious state.

There was that three days thing again. Rose fought her curiosity to find out more as she resisted shaking Donna practically off the bed. That Wanda had said Donna had been attacked by someone; had successfully beaten them off by using her blade. Rose had no doubts that Donna was capable of such a thing. But she wasn't convinced about the injury because she hadn't seen any blood on Donna until they'd reached this place. Perhaps she was only doing so to gain sympathy? It wouldn't surprise her that Donna was jealous enough of her to do something like that.

"Did you meet your husband here or before?" Rose asked, thinking Donna might be more truthful in her current state.

Donna stirred fitfully on the bed. "I came with him," she wheezed, and struck out a hand as if searching for something. "He was here."

Her mind slipped from consciousness, knowing on one level that her main danger had passed. She was travelling back to when they had first arrived on this planet months, weeks or maybe only days ago. Everything seemed so distant right now.

* * *

><p>They had been so excited as they had stepped out of the TARDIS, expecting to find that much promised beach but finding instead a mass of underground tunnels. "I'd say we've missed the beach by a little bit," Donna had commented.<p>

"Either that or it's extremely overcast," the Doctor had replied, and had then tried beaming at her as he hoped the weak joke would appease her.

He never got the chance to find out as several burly men suddenly jumped out in front of them and they were grabbed quite firmly. "What are you doing down here with your wife?" the leader demanded from the Doctor.

"We're not married," Donna started to deny, and the men hastily pulled her away from him.

"In that case we shall find you a willing husband from the men's camp. I'm sure they will be very pleased to see you," she was told.

"Hang on just a tick! You're planning on taking my wife where exactly?" the Doctor shouted out in protest. "Bring her back!"

The men shoved her back towards the Doctor who deftly caught her, easing her into his comforting embrace. "Why did she try to say she wasn't with you?" queried the leader suspiciously.

"You'll have to excuse my wife; she's from Barcelona," the Doctor pretended, whilst Donna tried to pretend she didn't want to kick him in the shins.

Instead she deliberately pinched his bottom and told him as sweetly as she could, "I bet you are so glad that I am!"

His hips jerked forward, causing the men to look at him oddly. "Yes! Well!" he coughed in surprise.

"If you are bored with her we can easily pass her onto someone else," one of the men remarked to the Doctor as he leered at Donna.

The Doctor surruptiously manoeuvred Donna behind him and away from that particular man. "No, that's fine, thank you. If you could just show us where we are supposed to go?" He looked expectantly at the men.

"Then you'd better follow us and explain yourselves," the leader glared at them.

As they walked, the Doctor grabbed Donna's hand and whispered into her ear, "Stick to the story that we are married here. It looks as though that will be safer for you."

"Thanks, Spaceman. I'd sort of worked that out for myself," she whispered back. "Now all we have to do is work out how to make you safer."

"That's easy," he had said, grinning broadly back at her. "I have you to do that for me."

"Why doesn't that make me feel better?" she wondered to no one in particular.


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning: **contains a couple of swear words spoken in anger.

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><p><strong>Part 3<strong>

.

Donna snapped awake. "Where am I?" she demanded to know.

"You're safe with us," Izzy instantly replied, and helped her to sit up. "Have you checked her wound?" she asked Rose as she sat to the side of her.

"No," Rose answered sheepishly. The last thing she wanted to do was to look at some infected cut on Donna Noble.

Izzy sighed in irritation and pushed the dressing on Donna's wound out of the way. Rose instantly wanted to gag; it looked horrible! Instead she managed to avert her gaze and focus on the new dressing Izzy cut and then applied.

"How did she get it?" Rose only then thought to ask.

"Don't you know? I thought she is your friend," Izzy moaned at her.

Rose wanted to tell her that it is the Doctor who is her friend; not Donna! But all she did in reply was look sheepish.

"The bastard tried to kill me," Donna supplied in a hoarse whisper. "When I wouldn't give him what he wanted he decided no one else would have me either, so he stabbed me in the groin."

Rose winced loudly as she imagined the attack. "What did you do to him?"

Donna tried to smile. "I did the same back to him, the gutless sod... Or should that be dickless? I can't say I was all that bothered what happened to him after that."

"Stop trying to look so pleased with yourself. You weren't supposed to be out there," Izzy admonished her. "I thought you were with Tamis and your husband."

"I was." Donna sucked in a painful breath as she tried to change position. "I left Tamis just for a few moments... I thought I spotted a rabbit, and I know how much he loves rabbit stew. I mean... He loved rabbit stew. He didn't stand a chance in the bombing raid. They blew the whole area up to smithereens. I couldn't even tell you where the nook I left him was anymore." Donna began to openly sob then. "My baby!" she wailed.

Rose felt a sharp prod in the arm.

"Don't just sit there like a lemon! Help her," Izzy griped at Rose.

Rose reached a hand and awkwardly patted Donna's leg. "There, there," she said. "Why isn't her husband doing this?" she then asked Izzy.

Izzy looked shocked. "Did you not hear what she just told you? He's out there, caught in that bombardment. If he left her then it must be bad. Devoted to her, he was; absolutely devoted. Never let her out of his sight if he could help it. And as for being a good father! Well! You couldn't ask for anyone finer."

"Father? You mean they've been here long enough to have kids? But I thought they'd only been here a short while. What about the Doctor? Did he get himself anyone while Donna was playing happy families?" Rose blurted out her questions.

Izzy growled at her in anger. "I thought you said you were a friend? How could you not know?"

"Not know what?" Rose snapped back.

"That's who we've been talking about, you numbskull! Her husband _is_ the Doctor!" Izzy retorted disdainfully.

Rose absolutely shrieked with indignation, and then lunged at Donna, fists blazing, with all her might.

"Help! Help! Somebody help me get this madwoman off Donna!" Izzy cried out as she battled to stop Rose's assault.

Vic and Len appeared in seconds, helping to restrain Rose against the room's wall. "What is the meaning of this?" demanded Vic, shouting in Rose's face.

"He's not hers! He is mine!" insisted Rose. "She has no right to call the Doctor her husband."

Vic thought carefully about this. "Do you have any proof of this?"

"Just ask the Doctor. He'll back me up," she continued. "He would never want Donna as his wife."

"Why?" he asked succinctly.

"Why? Because she isn't me; that's why," she replied confidently.

"So," he reasoned, "how do you explain the fact she was expecting his baby?"

"What?" Rose screeched; and this time they had to restrain her on the floor as she fought hard to get to Donna.

"I thought you said she was your friend, Donna?" Vic threw at her as she was comforted by Izzy on the bed.

Donna surreptitiously wiped her eyes. "If you recall, I said she is a friend of the Doctor's. I knew her regard for me was limited. All she cares about is finding him; and by the way… she's probably right about him preferring her," she told them. There seemed no point in hiding the fact after all. If he turned up they'd all see the truth in a split second.

"But… he married you! Why would he do that if he had a choice?" Len blurted out as he avoided kneeling on Rose.

Donna grimaced with pain, and then admitted, "Because he had no choice at the time. He thought Rose was completely lost to him."

"See!" Rose spat out triumphantly when they released her mouth. "Even Donna knows he wants me."

Vic waited until Len had led Rose out of the room before he said to Donna, "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, can't be helped. I might get the chance to take you up on your offer after all; if you still mean it, of course," Donna replied. "All I ask is that you keep her away from me for a few hours." She then turned on the bed so that her face was hidden and they got the message to leave her alone with her grief for a while.

* * *

><p><em>She was dreaming again; dreaming a cruel dream where the Doctor loved her with every ounce of his being, swamping her with the feel of his skin, the press of his lips, and the weight of his body. It was as if the sun shone out of her soul for him. But it was all a lie. Rose stepped into the light, and he fled from her to Rose's side. She was alone, so alone, in this godforsaken place; even Tamis preferred Rose over her. Tamis, her beautiful baby boy who had been presented to her on that special day; and Kate had been given to her on another. She had never dared name the unknown baby, and that had been a blessing.<em>

_In her dream state she was searching for Kate, calling out her name; beseeching her to return to her mother's arms. But in her dream Kate was nowhere to be found and Donna knew the machine would never work again to give her another child. Her last chance had gone, and she was in hell, trapped in a tunnel as the men got nearer. She could hear them digging through the soil above, like pigs seeking out truffles. _

_Then she remembered that she still had the blade by her side. If she couldn't escape them one way she would find another. A dead body wouldn't be of much use to them; especially if it didn't scream._

* * *

><p>"No Donna!" a frightened voice brought her out of her haze. "Please don't do it!"<p>

Donna forced her eyes open and found Wanda looming over her, grasping her hand in a death grip.

"What was I doing?" she weakly asked.

In answer, Wanda slowly lifted up the hand she so fiercely held onto, and Donna was shocked to see the blade in it with fresh blood on the tip. "The knife pierced the skin but I don't think you did any permanent damage," Wanda told her through agitated breaths.

What was wrong with her? Since when did she act out her nightmares? This place was definitely getting to her. "Thank you; you saved my life. Has he come back yet?" she asked instead.

Wanda sadly shook her head. "No, Donna. Your three days are up."

"Then I'll just have to go out and find him," Donna replied through gritted teeth. She'd be blowed if she would allow them to force some other man into her bed.

"Don't be daft, you're in no fit state to go out there again," Wanda moaned at her. "There are plenty of men available if that's what you want."

Donna fixed her with a glare. "You don't understand. He's special in the universe. Ain't no other like him, and there never will. This isn't about me wanting to shack up with some bloke; it's more important than that. He is this planet's only hope."

Wanda laughed. "You make him sound like a god," she scoffed.

"That's exactly what he is like," Donna told her sternly. "And it's my job to make sure he keeps being that way."

"What about her with the gun?" Wanda pondered.

"I hope they'll be very happy together. If she gets wind of this…" Donna barely got the first words out when they were immediately interrupted.

"I'm coming too!" declared Rose as she stepped into the room. "I can help you find him." There was no shame in the way she just barged in, and in Rose's mind there was no reason to excuse her behaviour. She had caught Donna trying to muscle in on the Doctor, and there was no way she was going to allow that to happen. It would be easier to escape off this planet once she found him and they were reunited. If the ginger bitch bought it as they looked for him, well… she could ultimately live with that. The Doctor might feel guilty for a while but the sight of her would soon cheer him up. The goal was still the same: get back to the Doctor. Everything else was superfluous.

Donna gave Wanda a resigned sighed. This was the moment she had dreaded and expected. This was all she needed; miss pop princess trying to lord it over her when all she wanted to do was die inside. Rage filled her then, at the injustice of the situation. "Then you'd better get some supplies together," she ordered Rose; she had the feeling that she wouldn't get away with that one for much longer, especially if Rose brought that bloody big gun of hers.

* * *

><p>"What makes you so sure he is still alive?" Vic demanded from Donna as she packed up some basic foods to take.<p>

How could she tell him that it was based on nothing but feelings? That the TARDIS could still be heard in her head but wasn't wailing? That an important part in her hadn't died yet? Instead she tried a more truthful approach. "I know him, Vic; and he would refuse to die. He'd find a way to keep going."

Vic tenderly grasped her arms, and stared into her face. "What if you are wrong and you find him dead?"

"Then I'll know for certain, and I undertake plan B," she admitted in a small voice. "Look after Kate for me until I get back."

He nodded. "Did they tell you about the possible garden we found? We might have gone by the time you get back."

"Don't worry about us. Save as many as you can; and I'll find you later," she vowed, hoping it was true. Then with a little sniff as her only sign of emotion she turned to look for Rose.

* * *

><p>As they climbed their way back up a tunnel to seek out the surface, pain stabbed Donna more than it had when they had first arrived. Obviously there was some infection still troubling her body. But she had more to worry about than that; and it was armed to the teeth.<p>

It was dusk as they opened the exit to the outside world; from the part of the burrow that was closest to the area Donna had last seen the Doctor. She had been keeping all information to Rose at an absolute minimum. The memory of those fists flying towards her head meant she was reluctant to speak to her at all, but she knew it was wrong to be so petty. Rose was acting out of a compulsion that had once rescued the Doctor; the fact it totally pissed off Donna was a completely different matter. The Doctor would be delighted to see Rose again, and Donna could not deny him that pleasure.

With that in mind, she strode out into the night.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** this is dedicated to **fansquee** for acts of bravery.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 4<strong>

.

After walking for an hour or so, they hunched down and rested; taking a tiny sip of the water they had been given.

Knowing this was a golden opportunity, Rose could hold in the question no longer. "Donna, why did they think you are married to the Doctor?"

"Because that's what we told them when we arrived here," she answered briefly.

"But why?" Rose whined.

"Why?" Donna almost hissed back. "Because they would have thrown me into the men's camp if the Doctor hadn't have said I was his wife, that's why!" She drew in some breaths that could have easily changed into sobs. "He kept me safe, like he always does."

Rose seemed to think this over. "What I don't understand is how he became a father," she confessed. "How did that happen?"

"Rose, you have to realise that there are children here who have been orphaned thanks to your friends the Q'Larkons and their need to bomb the guts out of everything. We were given Tamis on our first proper day and then Kate soon after when they found her wandering all alone. And before you ask, they slept with us in the bed. So you don't have to worry about what we got up to." She hated having to tell Rose that, but she knew her life would be a misery if she didn't.

Rose was quiet for a few moments as the information sunk in. "'Tamis' is a bit of a weird name. How did he get that?" she eventually asked.

The recollection of that moment flooded Donna's mind; the way his cute little face had scrunched up as he tried to say his name. Without realising it, a smile escaped from her lips as she spoke. "Tamis had a bit of a lisp. He was supposed to have been called Thomas but he couldn't say it properly, and it came out as 'Tamis' so he was known as that from then on."

"What was that about a baby?" Rose immediately asked, and Donna felt her blood run cold.

"That was an experiment that went wrong," Donna slowly explained. God, she didn't want to talk about this! "The Doctor managed to rejig some wiring. He restored some power to the burrow but fresh food was a problem, so he created a duplicating machine similar in some ways to the one we'd seen on Messaline…" That name brought back some painful memories. Before Rose could ask the inevitable question, she forged on, "Like they had in Star Trek. The first time the machine worked it was a success, but not in the way we expected. That was how we were presented with Tamis and the baby. It was a sheer fluke. After that proper food was created from base elements."

Rose went to ask another question, but Donna shushed her and listened carefully. She was sure she had heard him just then. There was a distinct ripple through their connection which meant he had probably gained consciousness.

She moved experimentally in a few directions, until she was sure of the direction to travel. "This way," she whispered to Rose. They eventually found themselves near a landscape that was completely unknown in the moonlight. It was desolate apart from a few brave trees that had managed to retain a foothold in the rubble. There was nothing to see, but she could feel him, so near to them it was tangible. Walking about like some divining rod, she suddenly squatted and examined the soil and debris beneath her, and declared, "He's here!"

"How do you know?" Rose demanded of her.

"I can smell him," Donna simply offered as an answer. Pick the bones out of that one!

"Don't talk stupid," Rose complained. "You'll be telling me next you have special telepathy with him!"

Donna felt her anger rise. "It doesn't matter if you believe me or not. He is right here," she snarkily bit back, and started digging with her improvised shovel made from a blown-up piece of lead piping. "I suggest you try putting that gun down for five seconds and start helping me."

"How do I know you aren't digging up some secret weapon that you'll use to kill me," argued Rose.

"Don't tempt me," Donna muttered. "That's a risk you'll have to take," she said in a much louder voice, although it was still only loud enough to reach Rose's ears out in the stark backdrop to this bizarre situation.

Donna was beyond caring if Rose believed her or not; all she cared about was finding the Doctor, so she pushed passed the pain she was feeling, the nausea that threatened to render her useless, and the ache in her heart that said this would ultimately be a futile attempt. He had only been on loan to her after all. She wanted to giggle at the irony of being a temp to the bitter end.

"What's funny?" Rose felt the need to ask when she spotted Donna's smirk. "Did you deliberately bury him out here so that I couldn't get to him?"

"Yes, that's exactly what happened," Donna sarcastically replied. "Right after I was declared Queen of England and Elvis came round for tea."

Rose mumbled under her breath about smartarse gingers who should know better; and Donna chose to ignore her. Getting into a fight would ruin the reason for choosing to dig during the night while the bombers were having a rest, wasting precious energy and drawing unnecessary attention.

* * *

><p>Hours later Donna had cleared a patch of ground that she could be proud of. She could feel him now; so near, so close she could almost reach out and touch him. He was weak, that much was obvious; but alive, thankfully. All she had to do was dig him out. Scrabbling faster, she aimed for where his essence was calling to her, uncaring about the way her fingers protested and her broken flesh cried out in protest.<p>

She suddenly paused, thinking she heard a slight cough and a wheeze. Then his voice was as clear as day in her head, saying her name. _I'm coming,_ she called back to him, eager to reassure him that this wasn't a dream, that his nightmare of being trapped was over.

Moving a block out of the way, she found a shoulder clothed in familiar brown-striped material; and she could have wept in relief. There was a dull sense of singing in her head now that she suspected was the TARDIS, or his connection with her being renewed. Donna blinked back tears as she thought about his evident relief concerning this reconnection with his oldest friend and home.

Rose noticed Donna was digging more frantically and joined her to ask, "What have you found?"

Donna felt his jolt at the voice. Should she step back and let Rose remove the last pieces? Cautiously she answered, "I've found him."

"Where?" Rose immediately demanded, and almost pushed Donna out of the way.

"We need to work together," Donna said as evenly as she could. "This isn't a competition; instead we have to get him out."

Rose nodded in agreement and began to help shift debris from his visible body. It looked as though they would have to drag him out rather than have time to completely dig him out. The sun was already threatening to peep above the horizon, and then the bombers, in all likelihood, would return.

"Doctor! Can you hear me? It's Rose," she cheerily told him as they grabbed handfuls of his suit and started to pull. "I found you!"

Donna wanted to contest that statement, but she was too busy easing the Doctor's body out of the narrow gap it had been trapped in. He must have placed himself in a comatosed state in order to survive it this long; and once again Donna was in awe of his remarkable abilities. She placed a hand on his neck to assess his heart rates, and his mind sprang into hers.

_Donna, is that you? Is it really you?_ he asked her, despite his body still staying in its protective state.

_Yes, it's me. I'm sorry I took so long, but I had a few physical problems to overcome,_ she told him.

His interest pricked up at that; his senses going on alert_. Physical problems? What physical problems?_ he wanted to know.

She mentally shushed him. _Don't worry. Nothing that can't wait until you are properly back with us,_ she tried to reassure him. _Is there any chance that you can open your eyes yet? Some of us are having kittens here._

_One way to get in the medical books,_ he chuckled at her. The mere thought of her being that worried about him soothed his ego._Was I dreaming or did I actually hear Rose?_

_No, you're not dreaming. She hitched a ride here; and she's currently looking at you as if you're the new messiah. Good grief! I suddenly thought how biblical this all looks! I hope you've got on more than a loincloth,_ Donna relayed to him, feeling his growing delight.

_You should know what I've got on under here,_ he teased before dramatically pausing. _Is she really here?_ he asked hopefully.

Donna couldn't resist smoothing a hand down his face despite the glares Rose was sending her way. "Why don't you open your eyes and see," she murmured in a soft voice.

The Doctor sucked in several dustless breaths; hardly able to believe he was finally free from his tomb. What if he opened his eyes and it wasn't all true? That this was another wishful dream? Then again he could be heading for the light since something was stinging his eyes, and it would mean his plight was over for different reasons. Gathering up every brave thought, he fluttered open his eyes and caught a glimpse of two concerned faces. One had a flash of ginger around it and the other had blonde hair. "Rose?" he asked weakly.

Rose let out a sob. "Yes, it's me, Doctor!"

Donna leaned away from them, knowing this was going to be painful, and prepared herself to face a death sentence. If she could only reach out and deactivate that gun somehow… But for a moment she couldn't watch; couldn't cope with the joy on their faces before Rose hugged him, while he failed to hug her back. She pushed back her seated form to rest against the rubble behind her, letting little bits of rock, mortar and wires dig into her body, reminding her that this was real and not another nightmare.

All she could think in her head was continually 'this will soon be over' as she fought exhaustion and the overwhelming compulsion to just give in at that precise second. There was no way she could allow herself to do that yet; he needed to reach safety, and she had to be sure he was unharmed. Nothing else really mattered. If he was alive and well the people of Small Tundle could escape to a happy life; Kate would be safe.

She turned her head away from the reunion, blinking back tears as she thought of sweet, beautiful Kate; with her easy smile, big brown eyes, button nose and lovely chestnut hair. Everyone had remarked how alike Kate and Tamis had been; how much they had looked like a real family, making Donna feel proud of her children. And then Donna felt remorse for not saying goodbye to Kate properly; it had been cowardly of her, and normally Donna Noble never balked from any necessary act.

But Kate was her little girl, even if it was by default, and she didn't want her to know how frightened she had been, or how crazy Rose was being. That was enough to scare anyone. Would Rose offer Kate a proper home, or would she be abandoned again? What a horrible life for such an innocent child, losing one set of parents after another.

Knowing if she stayed there much longer she would sob her heart out, Donna forced herself onto her knees and clambered up to peep over the edge of the hole she had dug.

What she saw didn't please her one bit. The Q'Larkons were on their way and Rose was about to get her thirty pieces of silver.


	5. Chapter 5

****Warning:** contains swear words and an implied sexual assault with the threat of rape!**

**A/N:** I've given up guessing how many parts this will have!

* * *

><p><strong>Part 5<strong>

.

Donna almost fell back down into the hole in her eagerness to hide from being spotted by the Q'Larkons. Those bastards could spot an ant at thirty paces! Perhaps they were part hawk?

"Your ride has arrived," she commented to Rose as nonchalantly as she could.

Rose looked up in shock as though she had forgotten Donna was there, which was probably true. "What ride?" she asked Donna in confusion.

"The ride that brought you here." Donna shifted position and tried not to grimace with the pain; but everything ached with a passion. "Did you nick their sandwiches or something?"

"No!" Rose replied indignantly, and finally let go of her grip on the Doctor.

Donna felt him take an easy breath as the pain in his chest subsided somewhat. She had to stamp down on her gut reaction to knock Rose out of the way completely. Instead she crept towards the Doctor and laid a gentle hand on his wrist to assess his physical signs. He was already growing stronger as he brought his body further out of stasis. She reached into her backpack and pulled out some water. Flipping off the lid, she brought it to his lips and poured some in.

"I could have done that," Rose insisted, obviously narked that she hadn't thought to do it.

"You still can," Donna replied. "Have you got one of those energy bars to give him?"

Rose eagerly scrambled for her backpack, rummaging through for the precious bar. "I've got one, somewhere… Ah! Here it is!" she declared, holding it up in triumph.

"Feed him slowly, with tiny chunks," Donna pointed out as Rose began to try and shovel it into his mouth. "Just as if you were feeding a baby."

"I know!" Rose pouted petulantly back at her.

Donna pulled up her legs to hug, and rested her head on her knees. It took all her strength not to reach across and slap Rose soundly considering the tale of woe she was giving the Doctor as he was fed. It wasn't as if any conversation was being offered her way anyway; so she tried to grab a power nap.

* * *

><p>As she tried to doze, she thought about their first night in the burrow. She had been sitting on the narrow bed of what passed for their bedroom, if it could be given so grand a title, trying to eke out some stubborn tangles in her hair when the Doctor had been roughly thrown into the room; practically falling on her.<p>

"Get in your room and make love to your wife, Doctor, or someone who is all too willing to take your place will come along and make use of her abundant assets," the leader of the group, Jed, had told him. "I wouldn't turn my nose up at her either; so stay put!"

Donna waited for Jed to march away before asking, "What were you investigating, Spaceman? No doubt you were caught where you shouldn't be again."

He looked sheepish, but only for a split second. "I found an old replicating machine. I thought I recognised the serial number on the side of it," he enthused.

"Trust you to know that," she said as she playfully rolled her eyes. "No doubt you collect them like train spotters do."

"Well... I like to keep up to date with these things. Do you mind if I have another peep?" He looked hopefully at her.

"Go on then! I'll never hear the end of it if you don't. Just don't be too long, please; this place gives me the creeps," she admitted.

"There are no dead people here to haunt you, Donna," he chided her.

"It isn't the dead I am worried about," she said. "Did you see the way that Phil was looking at me as we ate dinner? Take no notice of me. I'm just being silly," she said to wave off his concern. "Just don't get thrown into another cell!"

He kissed her cheek, which surprised her, and bounded away.

About an hour later she thought she heard him trying to find the right room, so she threw open the door. "And what time do you call this? My mother was right about you..." Her playful words stuttered in her throat as two strange men peered back at her.

"So it's true," one of them said with glee.

"Phil was right, she is _very_ tasty," the other answered as they tried to circle Donna.

"What do you want?" she demanded from them.

The first man reached up to grasp a lock of her hair. "Look at that! Now that is _nice_."

Donna batted his hand away from her head.

"Not as nice as her tits," the other remarked as he pressed against her; so she gave him a shove.

"Not very friendly, is she? And her all alone," the first one stated with mock concern.

"I'm not alone. I'm with my husband," she told them.

They both laughed mirthlessly. "Who are you married to? The invisible man?" one asked. "Whoever he is, he should not have let you out of his sight, darling. You are ripe and for the picking."

"Very ripe," the other agreed. "Just think how delicious she must taste." He grabbed her then, and forced his mouth onto hers.

Donna kicked and lashed out but she suddenly found her arms pinned behind her.

"Don't struggle, darling, and we'll all get what we want," the man behind her promised.

"I want you to piss off!" she yelled out.

"Now don't be so unfriendly," one tsked at her. "You know you are gagging for it."

"You mean you make me want to gag. Ever thought of trying out soap and water?" she retorted.

The men shared a knowing grin. "Looks like this one has husband problems. Perhaps he can't perform?"

The other agreed, "He certainly can't face the thought of dealing with all this lovely flesh on offer." A quick grope was added in at that point.

"He's a hundred times the man you'll ever be," she spat at them.

"Shall I show you how much of a man I am?" one of them offered as his hand went to his belt. Then to Donna's surprise he let out a faint huff and keeled over.

"What the...?" the other managed to say before something hit him hard at the base of the neck and he fell.

The Doctor appeared shaking his hand to get feeling back into it. "I'm a bit out of practise doing all that. Sorry I took so long."

Donna helped him drag the two unconscious men out of their room, and then she fell on him, sobbing; showing a rare moment of weakness. "Thank God you turned up!"

He looked equally pleased. "I'm so sorry, Donna. I promise not to leave you alone here ever again. I thought they were exaggerating the danger."

"So did I," she confessed.

She continued to cling onto him, and he was just as willing to be clung to, as they lay themselves down on the narrow bed. When she lightly dozed he placed tender kisses on her forehead. When she startled awake at his touch, he crooned sweet words into her hair and held her tighter.

She had never felt so loved as he continued to kiss her face. It was a very simple step after that to return them. Cautiously risked kisses were quickly followed by passionate ones. By the time morning light came their relationship had progressed a lot further than they would ever have predicted.

"Let me show you a way to connect us so that I can always protect you," he suggested as he brought his hands up her temples, just like he had on the Oodsphere. "That's if you don't mind forever."

"Forever is fine with me," she encouraged him; and a doorway was opened between them.

* * *

><p>Something crawling on her hand brought Donna out of her deep thoughts. There was still the murmur of Rose whispering to the Doctor, but the lack of sound above their pothole was worrying her.<p>

She lifted her head to consider her chances of remaining unseen now if she were to peer over the top edge. That was one major disadvantage of having her hair colouring; she'd never blend in against this landscape. Something else Rose was better at then she was.

Making a decision, she wrestled with the buttons of her camouflage jacket, ignoring the protests of her scraped fingers, and peeled it off to reveal her vest underneath and her well-toned bare arms. As she lifted up the jacket to cover her head she felt the Doctor's eyes fall upon her.

She hadn't intended to pull his attention onto her or push out her chest in any way that could possible affect him, but for the first time since he had opened his eyes she could feel everything focused on her. In particular, she could do more than feel his eyes in her cleavage; in fact his hands could have been skimming over her body at that moment as an eager hunger sparked in his body. She threw him a questioning look and turned towards the other side of their dugout. Using the sides of her hands, she climbed up, keeping the jacket over her head with a well-placed hair clip, and peered out into the distance.

There was nothing. No movement, no dust clouds; and most ominously of all, no sound of any bombers. Was this a War of the Worlds moment, and the buggers had all been killed by the common cold? Yeah, they should be so lucky!

She sat listening with her nose almost resting on the edge of the dugout.

"What's up, Donna?" Rose had positioned herself at Donna's feet, and was looking at her expectantly.

"Your mates seem to have gone home," she remarked. "Or they have given themselves an extended tea break. What do you think they're up to?"

"Don't ask me! I only hitched a lift," Rose retorted. Why did Donna always have to act like some bloody GI Jane?

Donna sank back down into the hole, avoiding looking at the Doctor.

_Donna? What is it? What have I done wrong? I don't understand_, he pushed into her mind.

_Don't do this to me and expect me to be unaffected,_ she begged him. _Not after everything..._ Damn! She had almost let it slip out then, and he wasn't ready to cope yet. It had taken a lot out of him just dealing with the appearance of Rose.

Rose was babbling away to him about someone called Jake; it was all pretty meaningless to Donna so she tuned her out. But she couldn't tune him and his distress out.

_Donna? What's happened? What aren't you telling me?_ he pleaded with her.

_What's happened?_ she echoed. _Rose came back, that's what happened. I think that nullifies everything else._

_But you're my wife!_ he huffed at her.

_Are you sure about that?_ she hissed back. _It was all pretend, remember._

_Then how do you explain when we...?_ he went to ask, but she immediately cut him off.

_Rose is back. End of!_

She could feel his rising panic.

_Where's Tamis? Where is he?_ he cried out and critically regarded Donna. She was hiding something. For the first time ever in their long relationship he had the feeling she was about to lie to him.

_He's over there._ She vaguely glanced in a direction, biting down desperately on any leakage of emotion.

The Doctor interrupted the tale Rose was midway through telling him. "Rose, have you seen a little boy hanging about at all?"

She frowned in annoyance that his mind had wandered away from her anecdote, and that this probably had something to do with Donna. "No, but I saw a little girl if that helps. Why? You don't want to worry about all that! Not now that we can plan a life together," she enthused.

"Are you saying that you didn't see Tamis once?" he tried to ask again.

Donna held her breath as she waited for Rose to answer.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** I'm still nowhere near finished yet!

* * *

><p><strong>Part 6<strong>

.

Donna's brain drastically sought for a possible story to cover Tamis's absence for the time being until she could reveal to the Doctor that her… their… precious baby had died; but Rose beat her to it. Just as she had dreaded Rose would.

"Oh him! You won't need to worry about him again. Donna told me all about that bombing raid. She said you can easily get another boy out of the machine to replace him; isn't that right, Donna?" Rose turned her head to question Donna and totally missed the horrified expression on the Doctor's face.

_Donna?_ she felt him question her; desperately seeking some comfort as Rose's words assaulted his thoughts.

But she couldn't answer him honestly yet, couldn't shatter his world when he was unable to fully cope let alone heal yet. _I'll explain all later_, she cagily replied to his agitation.

"No, Rose. I told you the complete opposite about the machine. It only produces food now," Donna said slowly. "Tamis can't be replaced."

_DONNA?_ He was more frantic now as he sought to connect with Donna's mind and found that she had closed so many doors to him it was beyond ridiculous. It was as if she had severed their connection completely; that was the only way it could have been worse.

"Is that what all the crying was about when we were in that underground place? Oh, I see now. Sorry. I thought it because you have to get yourself a new husband now," Rose admitted with a shrug. "That Vic seemed really keen to take over. I thought you might have taken him up on his offer."

The silly bitch! Donna could have killed her in that moment. Couldn't she see she was upsetting the Doctor? Donna could feel his internal fears raging through him, threatening to tear his hearts apart. "He was joking, Rose. He's as bent as a nine bob note but has to pretend he's straight."

"Rose?" the Doctor softly but firmly queried; and stumbled into an upright position, onto his knees, to deliberately loom over her as she sat on the ground next to him.

"Yes Doctor?" she wondered. Perhaps he was about to propose to her? She'd hoped for a better audience than Donna Noble, and far better circumstances! It would be typically him to pick the middle of nowhere to do the deed.

"Can I just...?" He reached out a dexterous hand as he asked, placed it on her temple, and she crumpled to the ground like a pack of cards. "That's her out for a while," he stated, and then whirled on Donna. "You have something to tell me."

"Not really," she tried to tell him. "Nice to see you can still do your Spock impression," she added as she eyed Rose's prone figure.

He quickly closed the distance between them by crawling over, and grasped her by her upper arms. "Stop trying to distract me. Donna, I demand to know the truth. I need to know!"

"You're not ready yet. You're still recovering," she told him as she evaded the order and his gaze. She knew she could hold out if she didn't look into his soulful eyes.

He placed a hand on her jaw, and whimpered as he caught her raw emotions. "Donna, my love, what on earth has happened? I know something has; you're being like a stranger, and that isn't you at all. Tell me, please!"

It was 'the my' love that got her. She hadn't expected him to be so tender towards her ever again; and the tears rained down unabated.

The Doctor was frantic now, as he saw and felt her emotions; but he didn't know why she was so upset or what exactly had happened to cause it. Whatever it was, he was stealing himself for it to be disastrous. "Tell me," he pleaded with her. "Don't shut me out of your mind like this. It's agony for me."

Donna ran her hands over his chest, and felt his minute flinches as she did so. "You've not healed yet, Doctor. I promise I'll tell you but I want you to get well first."

"Donna! Stop trying to protect me! I can cope," he insisted.

"No you can't," she stubbornly replied. "You're in so much pain right now that I'm frightened for you." She helped him lie back down onto her backpack as a makeshift pillow; easing him down as tenderly as she could, fearing that any jolt would cause him even more pain. "Everybody needs you to heal," she whispered.

"And what about you, Donna? What do you need?" he asked as he lovingly caressed her face.

She wanted to cry again at how weak he still was. "You. I only ever need to know you are okay," she quietly admitted.

_Kiss me… please kiss me_ he begged her, so she lowered her lips onto his; even though she had noticed faint movements from Rose.

It was a beautiful kiss; one that she hoped would be a good way to end her life. She loved him so much in that moment it almost overwhelmed her. This was for him and for all they could ever have been. The next second she heard a click and she gave out a gasp of shock.

A single shot reverberated around the dugout. It was loud enough to temporarily deafen the humans within hearing range. And then there was silence.

* * *

><p>Wanda ran into the room Vic was packing up tools in. "What's up? You look worried," he immediately asked.<p>

"Vic, something's wrong. It's the Q'Larkons; they're all over the place," she cried.

He dropped what he was doing and went to comfort her. "What do you mean all over the place?"

"Outside… they have all these ships, and they're hovering over us. Over every single entrance. I sent the children to check," she explained.

"The children? Are they alright?" he blustered in a mild panic.

Wanda nodded. "Don't worry, they can run fast. But that isn't the point. The Q'Larkons, it's as if they knew exactly where to look for us."

Vic thought carefully and then agreed, "Yes, they've never been able to guess where we were before, and this is more than a coincidence. This must have something to do with that Rose." He turned his head and yelled out, "Kate!"

Within seconds Kate appeared, looking scared. "Yes? Here I am. Is it my Mum? Is she back yet? Or Dad?" she asked hopefully.

"Not yet, sweetheart," Wanda sympathetically replied. "But Vic needs to ask you a question."

Vic tried to weigh up how to ask his inquiry in order to get the best result. "Kate, you spent time with Rose while your mum was here the last few days. I need to know if Rose left anything lying around, or if she gave you a gift; or if she gave anything to anyone or left something lying about."

"Erm…" Kate thought hard. Rose hadn't paid her any particular attention when she'd been there. In fact Kate had felt rather left out and pushed to the side while Donna had been resting from her wound. She knew Donna had been in a lot of pain and had wanted to go in and cuddle up with her, but each time she had tried to get in the room Rose had scowled at her. Kate had decided she didn't like Rose; even if she was supposed to be an old friend of the Doctor's. "Shall I go and check?"

"Yes please," Vic instantly answered her offer. Things were beginning to look very bad for them. How on earth would they ever be able to escape from the burrow if the Q'Larkons were outside to monitor every footstep? It was only a matter of time before they would probably start to try and bomb them out.

Kate raced to the bedroom she had been sharing with her family. There wasn't much to look at she realised as she entered it. Normally the room wasn't empty of anyone. Sweeping her gaze over the rudimentary bed, the small table and chair that stood beside it, she saw nothing new or out of place. Sighing with exasperation, she pushed onto her knees and peeked under the bed. She instantly took in a gasp of surprise when she spotted the water flask Rose took everywhere… well, she had taken it everywhere. Stretching out to touch with her fingertips, she eventually managed to ease it into her grasp and she snatched it up.

Vic was relieved to see Kate run in to show him her find. "Look, Vic! I found this: Rose's water flask," she told him proudly as she presented it to him.

"Clever girl!" he enthused, gratefully hugging her. "They'd be proud of you."

Kate felt herself glow with the praise. "What do you think is in it?" she asked him, eyeing it with open curiosity.

"I don't know. Let's have a look," he answered, and began to unscrew the lid. What he found shocked him. "Oh shit! Not only is this the transmitter we were expecting…" He trembled slightly. "…this is a bomb." He placed it carefully on the table top away from him and tried to remain calm, taking deliberately deep and even breaths. "I'm going to pack it as tightly as I can to lessen the damage, and then we are all getting out of here. Does that sound like a plan to you, Kate?"

Kate nervously gulped. "Yes it does. Shall I go and warn the others?"

Vic nodded. "Go and help get them out. I know you can do this. I'll meet up with you later." He waited until she had raced away from him before he set about his grim task. It didn't matter for the moment who was to blame for this; all that stayed within his mind was the fact he had to minimise the damage that would inevitably happen.

In a matter of seconds, although it felt like at least ten minutes, Kate was racing through room after room, calling out to anyone who had lingered enough to be able to listen that they had to get out NOW! Each time someone asked why, she threw over her shoulder that there was a bomb, knowing that no one would think to argue with that. Eventually she joined Wanda at the entranceway to a tunnel and began to help her direct strays and grab various precious items.

"You're a good girl, Kate," Wanda told her with great kindness. "If we make it out of here it will be thanks to you."

Kate anxiously glanced behind her. "Where's Vic? He hasn't turned up yet, and he said he would be right behind me."

Wanda patted her consoling on the back. "Don't worry about him, he can look after himself."

"But…" Kate wanted to cry. Was Vic going to actually make it away from the bomb? She hadn't thought to question it before. Vic had always seemed invincible, like her dad… She lifted up a hand to wipe away tears as she thought about him somewhere out on the surface, and wondered if her mum had found him yet. There was no doubt in her mind that Donna would. They had a special bond with each other, like it was magic or something. Tamis had said as much to her when they had been whispering together, sharing secrets as they played with anything they could find. He said she would understand it properly one day, when he would be able to show her what he meant himself; but for now he couldn't do that sort of thing. She had been so glad in that moment that she had joined this special family.

"What's the matter, Kate?" Wanda had gently asked her when she saw the tears.

"I miss Tamis!" she had immediately admitted. "He would have known what to do."

All Wanda could do was agree with her, "Yes, he always did."

That was when the first bomb went off, throwing them to the floor.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Thank you** silverotter95 **for the lovely review. I couldn't send you a thank you using the usual route.**  
><strong>

**A/N2:** It looks like possibly two more parts after this… I think.

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><p><strong>Part 7<strong>

.

One second the Doctor had been kissing his wife; finally able to get an intimate moment to appease her wrath. The next second he was being splattered with something that was probably her blood. When he opened his eyes his worse fears were realised as Donna slumped onto his shoulder.

All he could see was blood gushing from her head, horrifying him as his mind was filled with roaring emptiness rather than the fiery glimmer that was Donna Noble; as had been filled for several weeks now.

He laid her gently down, trying to assess the damage whilst hoping and praying it looked worse than it was. Moving a thick wad of blood matted hair he found a hole blown through the cartilage of her right ear. Following the possible trajectory, he then found where the bullet had grazed the outer casing of her skull. With a bit of luck there wouldn't be too much damage to her visual neural processes. Who was he kidding? He was eternally thankful that the bullet hadn't completely blown her brain to pieces. It had been extremely close though. It could have even severed a main artery as well. Alive was better than dead; always.

Rose didn't agree as she watched him frantically try to stem the blood flow. Her heart darkened with the hate she felt for Donna Noble and her blatant attempt to steal the Doctor away from her. How dare Donna kiss him! How dare she call the Doctor her husband! And most of all, how _dare_ she do so in front of Rose.

So Rose sat exactly where she was, hugging her gun to her chest in repressed glee as she hoped Donna's life ebbed away. No one got in the way of their love; the Doctor was her soul mate and he needed only her, and not some Rose wannabe.

The words Donna had spoken to her back when they'd first met on this planet drifted into Rose's mind: "What happens if he says no?" Rose gritted her teeth with determination. If he dared to put that ginger bitch and her sprogs before their love she had a bullet sitting, ready and waiting, with his name on it.

It was only when he finally looked her way, glancing at her in desperation, did she say anything. "I'm sorry. It was an accident," she murmured to placate him. She badly hoped that it worked in her favour.

Donna was floating in blackness. She had expected a bright light at the very least; followed closely by a tunnel. There was no sign of that. What she really wanted was to be greeted by Tamis and her dad, but she didn't get a glimpse of anyone who could have possibly passed over. If she had been capable of it she would have wept with disappointment.

Suddenly there was the sensation of movement but that was it. No other senses were working to give her information. From what she could gather, she had been turned over onto her back; at least that was what her body was telling her as light began to filter in to her brain from somewhere.

Sound came next. Someone was internally sobbing while someone else kept saying, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!"

She knew that voice and it wasn't anyone related to the Archangel Gabriel, not even a distant relation. It was the voice of bloody Rose Tyler! The utterly jealous selfish little cow! All Donna had done was kiss her own husband and the blonde tart had fired that bloody big gun of hers at her. Except she wasn't quite sure if she was allowed to think of the Doctor as her husband anymore despite living with him as such for weeks now. If Donna had been in any doubt that Rose thought the Doctor belonged to her, in any capacity, she certainly knew it now. The crux of the argument had been a bullet fired at her at a fairly short range. Not exactly an Oxford Debating Society standard of arguing, more like the Psychopathic Gun Owner standard variety. Right up Rose's street judging by her current level of craziness.

There was an awful lot of wet stickiness on Donna's face. Too sticky for it to be her own or anyone else's tears. It must be blood then. Did this mean she wasn't dead after all? She had been expecting to take the bullet for the Doctor; had completely resigned herself to the fact. And here she was feeling things. Like she was alive or something. It was most puzzling and very peculiar. It was also bloody painful! Pain was assaulting her from all sorts of places, but particularly from her head on the right side.

A hand touched her cheek. A loving, tender hand that made her want to reach out and return the favour. _Doctor? Is that you?_ she asked hesitantly.

_Donna? Oh thank Rassilon you are alive! I thought I had lost you,_ he sobbed into her mind.

_What happened? I heard a gunshot. Did she get me? Did she finally get me after threatening to do this for days?_ Donna panted with the effort of breathing.

_It was an accident,_ he told her. _Rose accidentally pulled the trigger._

_And I'm the Pope! Do be serious, Doctor. If you think she did this accidentally then you're a bigger idiot than I thought you were_, she huffed angrily at him with a snort of derision. Her tone turned more sorrowful. _And if you genuinely think that, then I know we don't have a hope in hell_.

"She moved! Did you see that? That means she isn't dead, Doctor," came the relieved voice of Rose into Donna's world. "See! I told you she was faking it."

Donna could feel indignant rage roaring through his body, just like when Jenny had died. He was about to blow up in anger and somebody could get seriously hurt if he didn't control himself. Normally it was her job to play at being his conscience during such moments, but she didn't have the willpower to intervene this time; she couldn't even offer him a look.

"Just sit there and shut up, Rose!" he hissed irately at her.

Rose was obviously taken aback. "But I said sorry," she protested petulantly.

"Yes, I heard you," he snapped back. "I heard everything you said."

Donna felt she could be missing out on a good argument, one where Rose might hear a few home truths; so she tried desperately to force her eyes open. However no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get her eye lids to obey her.

Starting to feel a bit panicky, she lifted a hand to investigate why this might be so, and lightly touched her forehead. Immediately a sharp pain ripped across her head, engulfing the whole of the top part of her body.

"Doctor," she rasped out, surprised to find that her voice seemed to belong to someone else.

The sound of a nearby engine blasting as something landed, instantly halted all thoughts as she waited for what she regarded to be the inevitable. There was lots of groaning metal, stomping boots and shouts between people who were looking for something, or someone, specific. Tension in the air built as a radio of some sort was used to declare, "We've found them, sir. Located and about to retrieve."

Rough hands pulled her from the Doctor's grasp. In that moment she was glad she couldn't see his distress; hearing him cry out to her along their link was bad enough as he struggled to resist capture.

Strangely Rose didn't say much beyond, "Oi! What are you playing out?"

Donna had expected her to say more. She was pondering on that (and what on earth the soldier carrying her had had for dinner!) when her head caught on something hard and she went out like a light.

* * *

><p>Kate fought hard to clear her lungs. Her legs were being pressed down by something but sunlight was streaming through the large holes above her head. They had blasted through everything. In desperation she looked around for Wanda, hoping she wasn't equally trapped. To her relief Wanda was lying by the side of her.<p>

"Wanda, are you okay?" she asked as she gently touched her arm. There was no response, so Kate shook Wanda's shoulder. "Wanda? Can you talk to me?" Still no response. So Kate took the brave step of turning Wanda's head and swept her hair out of the way. She screamed when Wanda's sightless eyes stared back at her. "Vic! I think Wanda's dead!" she cried out, looking for him; looking for anyone.

In grief and frustration, Kate screamed and cried until she could cry no more.

When distant engines got closer and closer, almost deafening her, she couldn't find it within her to care. Not even when a figure loomed large and menacing by her side and pulled her out of the soil and rubble did she murmur. Life had ended as far as she was concerned, so why fight it? Everytime she found someone who could possibly love her, had cared even a tiny bit, they died and left her. With any luck it would rub off on the Q'Larkon who'd thrown her under his arm and marched with her back to his transport; and she would get her revenge for Tamis's death.

* * *

><p>Oh my! The smell! It was an overwhelming stench of engine oil mixed in with essence of dead rat. Donna started to cough to rid herself of it, but a hand pressed her back down as her body tried to sit up to do so. "This one is awake," an unknown male voice informed someone.<p>

This was followed by the sound of footsteps as the informed person approached. "Did you clean it up?" the person asked.

"Yes. There was a lot of fluid on it, but I think I got it all. I never knew they came in this colour," the first voice commented.

"It's very unusual from what I've seen. I wonder if that is the reason we didn't just toss it out over the side? Perhaps it can be sold when we land," the second person queried.

"Who would buy it, I wonder? It would fetch quite a few fleggins. Care to try it out first?" was the sly question.

"Have you seen those teeth? I'm not going to risk it; not unless it has a really short leash on it," the other replied.

"That can be arranged," the first one said thoughtfully.

"You two! Stop dillydallying and get back to work!" yelled a third voice; and Donna was soon left on her own.

The Doctor had barely stayed conscious as the Q'Larkons forced them to leave the dugout and shoved them into a large transport ship. He had tried to hold onto Donna, not wanting to let her out of his sight, but they had been quickly separated and dispatched to different areas. It looked like he had been thrown in the hold, judging by the various large boxes strapped down onto the deck. As for the other two, he could only guess; but he really hoped Donna had been taken to their form of an infirmary. That damage to her head needed immediate attention. All he knew was that she wasn't dead…yet. There was something still keeping their faint connection alive. Where Rose had been taken was anybody's guess; and he was fighting with himself to care. Apparently these people had brought her to this place, so she was either being rewarded for finding him or being punished; time would tell which one it was.

As he lay in the gloom he tried to conserve his energy and heal his body some more. This could turn very nasty and he needed to have full strength to deal with it. _Donna, can you hear me? Are you okay?_ he called out to her.

His relief knew no bounds when she answered, _Yes, I can hear you, but I'm not sure if I'm okay. I can't see anything. They've cleaned me up, so don't worry. Where are you? Try and sleep some more, Spaceman._

_I'm a bit tied up at the moment otherwise I'm fine. I'll try and sleep for a bit unless you need me,_ he told her.

He could not help chuckling when she replied, _I'll always need you. Now get some sleep!_ It was nice to know that she was almost back to normal.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** I thought this was the penultimate chapter… but it isn't quite.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 8<strong>

.

The sound of the engines was so loud it was nigh impossible to think straight! They pulsed through the very core of her being. And still the never ending darkness that had become her constant friend remained. It seemed like a small price to pay for staying alive, Donna constantly told herself; one day she might believe it. On the other hand it would have been totally worth it if she had been able to stay with the Doctor. She now knew that wasn't likely to happen.

The two medical orderlies, or whatever they were called by the Q'Larkons on this ship, had made her fate very clear. They had commented that she would either be sold as a slave or used as a sex toy. Not much to look forward to with either scenario, especially if her usefulness was going to remain restricted. Did these people even supply rehabilitation for someone like her? She very much doubted it.

The only thing that had kept her from going insane so far was the gentle backdrop of the Doctor within her head. She was carefully storing it all up in her memory to cherish at a later date as she felt him sleeping and healing somewhere on the loading deck; wherever the heck that was. There was something else onboard this ship that she couldn't quite put her finger on; but she filed that away for later investigation too.

She was startled out of her thoughts by the oncoming smell of the main medic. He was a weird bugger! All he did was delight in sidled up to her as though he was testing out her reactions. Goodness knew what he suspected her of. On this visit he near whispered to her, "I have a little something to try out on you."

Not wanting to discourage his friendliness, she forced herself to cheerily ask, "Is it something I will like?"

She felt him finger her hair. "I'm hoping you will," he told her. "How grateful can you act?"

"I erm…" Donna felt lost for words. Why did every bloke on this planet want sexual favours from her? Were they that desperate for female company, or was something going on that she wasn't aware of… like, free beer for life being offered if they considered her? "I've never had to give myself a value like that," she freely admitted.

The medic chuckled. "Then perhaps I will," he almost purred at her.

Donna was about to ask why she was supposed to be grateful when he pressed a light source to her head; and she wanted to sob with relief that she was aware it was a light source at all. She had begun to think she would never recognise light again. Cold threads of liquid brightness filtered through her head, taking away the rampant headache she hadn't noticed was continually berating her.

"Thank you," she uttered; and she could almost feel his smile.

What she did feel was his fingertip as it traced along her bottom lip. Anxiously she waited to find out what else he was going to do.

Somebody banged twice on the bulkhead, or a metallic something or other, to capture the medic's attention. "Orders from the captain, sir! The female is to be taken before him immediately," the person snapped.

"Thank you, soldier," the medic replied, and then turned back to Donna to tell her quietly, "We shall have to resume our little conversation later, mia suan."

What the hell is 'mia suan'? Donna instantly wondered if it was good or not. Hopefully it was the former.

Within ten minutes Donna was escorted by two soldiers and placed before the captain of the vessel. Either she had been in a really dark place or whatever the medic had given her was beginning to work because she detect a low level light in this place. Perhaps life could improve for her after all?

She was starting to feel more optimistic, and then that voice cut through her, and her life, like a rusty blade. "What did you bring her in here for?" it asked.

"To test out a theory, since you ask," a deep male voice answered disdainfully. "Once I have done that you can give me your decision, Rose Tyler."

Just because Donna could make out Rose's outline didn't mean she necessarily wanted to look at her! So she tried to concentrate on the male voice. He was tall, and covered in some sort of armour, as if he had covered himself in crab shells judging by the texture she could make out; but nowhere near as colourful.

"I can give you my answer now if you like," Rose offered him.

He didn't seem very impressed with her. "I will wait until the Time Lord is here," he stated. He then waved his arm at a nearby soldier, so it was obviously a command of some sort.

Donna felt the Doctor awaken almost immediately. Fearing she might be killed before he arrived for his audience with the captain, she reached out to him to ask, _Are you ready to know what has happened yet? I need to tell you before the captain makes the decision about my fate._

_Donna? Where are you? _

_I'm standing in front of the captain of this ship and Rose; but I don't know how long I've got until I'm sold off. I'm sorry but I've got to be quick with this and there's no way I can wrap it up nicely. I've got bad news about Tamis; really bad news. Rose was brought here by the Q'Larkons to find you. They bombed… they bombed the place I left Tamis when I went hunting for food. I tried in vain to find him in the rubble, I really did; but there was nothing but a few tiny pieces of fabric. I'm so sorry I lost him! It's all my fault for leaving him there on his own when it should have been me that died. And then that evil sod turned up and I had to fight him off. He wanted to rape me; the bastard! I couldn't risk the baby like that, but he… he… stabbed me. He killed the baby... I'm sorry I failed you so badly. So when I found Rose I kept her away from the men's camp, like you would have wanted me to._ Donna finished blurting out her news then, purged of the burden of it as she waited for the Doctor's response. She didn't have to wait long. It was like someone turning on a freezing cold tap over the top of her.

"Ah, the Doctor," the captain commented as the Doctor was brought before him. The captain then viewed a device to his left that clearly told him information that pleased him, because he almost smiled as he said, "Even better for our purposes."

Donna could feel silent rage wafting from the Doctor; it was the only way she could tell exactly where he was in relation to her.

"Doctor, it's me, Rose! I'm here!" she called out to him; but Donna didn't hear any reply from him. She wasn't exactly surprised.

"Well, Rose Tyler; what is your final verdict on the female? Do you need her anymore?" the captain asked politely.

"Why would I? No, you can ditch her," Rose replied. "I've got what I want."

* * *

><p>Donna had an 'oh shit!' moment as she was grabbed from behind and forced from the room. Without meaning to, she called out to the Doctor for help, fully aware of how stupid it was to do such a thing. He was powerless to help her; and she was even more powerless to help herself.<p>

The sensation was like being sucked down the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner; or one of those really old fashioned money conveyors that cashiers used to put cash in to send to the finance department in shops. If this was Futurama she'd end up on the street somewhere, but she would be lucky to hit the dirt. She prayed to God that she wouldn't end up in the cesspit.

As it was she was manhandled by two soldiers on the surface of the planet into what looked like an animal pen, according to her blurry vision. The sunlight was doing her no favours as it bore down on her, and no one was explaining anything.

There was mumbling behind her, and then she clearly heard, "One more for the Azer to sell. Should get a good price once it heals up."

It? Flipping cheek! Why did these Q'Larkons keep referring to her as 'it'? She'll teach 'em, once she could actually make out where they are.

Someone prodded her with a stick. "Get up you lazy bitch! I can't stand around here all day waiting for you to get up off the ground," he said; and she pondered on why it is always a 'he' that says such things. Not that she specifically fancied being caught by Amazon warriors, but it would make a nice change.

Donna dragged her body into a standing position, still blinking against the harsh sunlight. The bloke prodded her again. "Get over there! What's the matter with you? Can't you see the coop you should go to?" he asked in exasperation.

"Actually, mate, I can hardly see a bloody thing, so a little bit of help wouldn't go amiss," she snapped back. He was starting to really piss her off!

The next prod was slightly gentler. "Go that way. There's an open door straight in front of you," he encouraged her.

"Thank you," she murmured. She had learned that any act of kindness, no matter how small, had to be appreciated; and expressing that had worked in her favour so far.

She heard a surprised intake of breath. "Yeah, that way," he said; and this time the stick was used to nudge her towards the door.

Stumbling into the comparative darkness soothed her aching head, and she tentatively called out, "Hello. Is anybody in here?"

"Yes," someone answered; and Donna realised she could smell several bodies nearby. Cautiously moving her head, she could make out their outlines as her eyes tried to adjust to these new conditions.

Taking the bull by the horns, she announced, "My name is Donna. I used to live in Small Tundle."

"I'm Alice," the voice introduced herself. "There's someone who might be want to meet you."

A man pushed himself to stand in front of Donna. "You from Small Tundle? Then you might know my mother. She's called Izzy," he told her.

Donna wanted to laugh. She'd been thinking Izzy's son was a figment of her imagination. "You're Michael? Well, it's lovely to finally meet you!" she greeted him, putting out a hand towards him.

He eagerly took her hand and shook it warmly. "Nice to meet you too," he said.

* * *

><p>"Donna!" the Doctor cried in terror as he saw her wrenched once more from his sight, and taken to god knew where. "What did you do that for?" he yelled at both Rose and the captain. "Bring her back! She's done nothing wrong!"<p>

"You are in no position to demand such a thing, Doctor," the captain practically sneered at him; and with a dismissive air turned back to Rose. "You have fulfilled your part of the bargain so you may have this being. What do you want us to do with our detector?"

Rose shrugged. "It got me where Donna was, and she did what I wanted her to do, so I suppose it doesn't matter."

"What detector?" the Doctor asked insistently.

"Ooh you'll like this! Can we show him our detector, captain," Rose enthused. "This could be interesting."

"You may do the honours," the captain said, pointing her towards his monitor.

Rose clapped her hands with glee. "I can't wait to see your face, Doctor, when you see this," she stated, and pressed a button.

To the side of him a screen started to roll away, and the Doctor saw what he first thought was a coffin; and then he realised it wasn't. It was certainly like a casket, but it was closer to being a baby incubator. Inside was the body of a young boy.

"Tamis!" the Doctor called out brokenly. "That's my son in there! Why have you got him like that?"


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Sorry, it crept into ten parts! The last part is done.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 9<strong>

.

"Why, Doctor? Because we needed him to seek you out," the captain explained. "Rose only had a feeble sample of your DNA, and then we found this damaged child, that was of no use to anyone else, just lying around. He provided us with an almost excellent match; but he was contaminated with some other DNA."

"Donna's," the Doctor realised with a breathy sigh.

"Yes, but it led us to the female and ultimately to the rebels' hideout, thanks to Rose here. We are most pleased," the captain happily stated. "We have no further use for the boy so he can be taken away now. Rose, you may claim your prize." He waved a hand towards the Doctor before reaching across and clicking a switch.

"Oh no you don't!" the Doctor exclaimed as the platform below Tamis began to instantly drop; and he hurled himself on top of the box containing his precious son. _Tamis! Can you hear me? Tamis, please answer me,_ he begged as he frantically sought to open the casket, edging his fingernails along the seam.

"Doctor!" Rose screamed out in indignation that he should choose to disappear from her sight, and jumped after him. She landed safely on the small platform next to the Doctor, but he made no attempt to acknowledge her presence.

"So be it," the captain remarked dispassionately as he regarded her decision. Perhaps Rose had wanted to become a slave after all, he reasoned. It was no matter to him what she decided to do with the man she had so desperately sought. It had served their purposes wonderfully well, letting this little female have her way. Shame she could not have flushed out even more terrorists for them. With that thought in mind, the captain returned his attention to dealing with the rebels they had captured.

* * *

><p>Donna had just finished exchanging pleasantries with Michael when she astonished him by suddenly twirling on her heel and crying out in strangled horror, "No!" The next thing he knew, she was racing to the closed door of the coop as if her life depended on it. She banged on it desperately, shouting out, "Let me out of here! Let me out! I have to get back on the ship; they have him on there!" Inevitably nobody opened the exit despite her pounding upon it or the pain that her hands were suffering as the effects of hitting such a hard substance was made evident.<p>

Michael moved cautiously to her side. Was she absolutely mad? Something had caused her to go nuts, so he grabbed her arm to stop her from harming herself further on the strong door. "Who have they got, and why would you want to go back there? That place is horrible they say."

"It is," she instantly agreed. "But they've got him held like some… like a hand in a jar."

That meant absolutely nothing to Michael as he watched her try to hold herself emotionally together. She was making him fearful. "Donna, tell me who they have got," he repeated, trying to make some sense of this madness.

"My son," she sobbed. "I knew I had felt someone else there but I thought I was being an idiot for hoping he was still alive. I have got to get out of here to rescue my son!"

Another man stepped forward to comment, "You're that woman with the red hair some of the rebels mentioned! I've heard about you and your husband. Didn't you set up a food bank, re-establish some of our communication lines and find those minerals that allowed us to bargain with the Q'Larkons about access rights out in the Perham quadrant?"

"You heard about that?" she asked in surprise, and with some pride.

"Who hasn't?" remarked a woman to her side. "You both gave us all hope that we can win this."

Donna reached out a hand and touched the woman gratefully. "Then some of this has been worthwhile. Can you help me get back to my son? He needs me."

"What about your husband?" someone bluntly asked.

"He erm… he might have other ideas," she reluctantly said. "I'm not sure…" Then she let out another shocked gasp. "He found him! Oh please God let him be alright."

* * *

><p>"Doctor, what are you doing?" Rose asked him when the silence between them started to get on her fragile nerves.<p>

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he spat back, still not looking at her. "I'm trying to get to my son!" He lightly cursed and then declared triumphantly, "Hah!"

The lid of the casket creaked open, and the Doctor hastily shoved it out of the way. With a great deal of efficiently he ran an expert hand over the boy's body, assessing the damage as he went. To his relief Tamis's eyes fluttered open and lit up in recognition. _Dad! You came back for me,_ Tamis greeted him weakly.

_Always,_ the Doctor replied, smiling at him fondly. He disconnected the last wire holding Tamis in place and gently lifted him up. "Let's get you out of here."

"Doctor," Rose tried to catch his attention; but he ignored her. "Doctor," she said with more force.

The Doctor continued to ignore her as he kissed Tamis's head and hugged him closely. "Oops!" Tamis murmured.

The Doctor pulled back to ask, "What do you mean by 'oops'?"

At that point several loud and desperate voices reached them from above as the ship's crew obviously panicked as it went to red alert. Tamis looked very sheepishly back at his father. "I might have done something," he confessed.

"What sort of something?" the Doctor wondered, hoping it wasn't anything too dangerous.

Tamis glanced at the wires that had held him in place. "I only did it as an experiment at first, and then I thought 'why not?' so I did it a bit more," he said.

"What did he do, Doctor?" Rose was getting really annoyed about being ignored now, but all she got was a scowl from the boy that reminded her of Donna far too much.

The Doctor was making the most of the soldiers being preoccupied elsewhere, by moving Tamis away from the platform the casket had sat on, and toward the exit Donna had disappeared down. "Meaning?" he encouraged Tamis to talk as they went.

"Well… You see… I was hooked up to all the energy sources on board, and I was being used to navigate it like some homing beacon; but that was boring! I might have reversed the feedback in a few places, overloaded the core, thus destroying the engines, that sort of thing. Oh, and I've already released all the prisoners they kept here. I made sure we were exactly where they dumped Mum before I did all that," he explained, giving the Doctor a self-satisfied grin. "Was that okay?"

"Very okay," the Doctor agreed, giving him a proud kiss. "Molto bene!"

_What about her, Dad?_ Tamis asked as he glanced at Rose following them out.

_Don't worry about her. I'll deal with her later,_ the Doctor answered, and stepped out onto the surface of the planet from the same tunnel Donna had travelled along. They found themselves in the Q'Larkon version of a concentration camp. Some old habits of war never died.

"Doctor!" Rose called after him as he strode away from her a fast rate of knots.

The Doctor was still determined not to encourage her in any shape or form to communicate with him. his main objective was to get as far away from the ship as possible before it blew up. "Everyone, take cover!" he yelled out to all the escaped prisoners that were milling around as though they didn't know what to do with themselves. "NOW!"

All of them ran except Rose. "Why?" she asked petulantly.

She quickly gained her answer because there was a loud bang from the ship hovering near them. It was closely followed by a cloud of thick, acrid smoke and then another roar as part of the ship ripped away by an explosion, revealing flames as the ship fell like a brick towards the ground.

There were a few cheers from the people near them, but the Doctor couldn't celebrate yet. There were still things he had to do. Ahead of him the released prisoners were tackling the entrances to various buildings. He stood stock still and swept his concentrated attention over them.

"That way, Dad," Tamis said, and pointed out a building furthest away from them.

Nodding in agreement, the Doctor began to walk, then trotted, and finally ran towards the place they had both sensed Donna was.

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><p>There were several screams within the coop when the first 'bang' reached them; but Donna wasn't worried. She could feel them! They were close, and she wanted to jump for joy. "Don't worry everyone! This is good news!" she called out to the people standing by her. "The Q'Larkon ship has been destroyed."<p>

"How do you know that?" she was instantly asked.

"Do you remember those lines of communication you mentioned earlier," Donna enigmatically remarked. "I just used them."

She threw herself at the window, eager to catch a glimpse of her menfolk. As she saw several people scattered across the compound she saw the Doctor standing in thought, holding Tamis, and her heart leapt in joy. Their son was safe and the Doctor was back to bring things under control. What more could she ask? _I'm here!_ she called out to them, hoping that they could hear her from that distance.

"Come away from the window, Donna. It's not safe," Michael tried to tell her.

She turned and smiled a beautiful smile at him. "It is now. Hope has been returned to us," she replied. Ignoring his surprise, she raced to the door, and practically bounced with joy as she heard the tell-tale snick of the lock being turned followed by the door being kicked open. "Learnt the element of surprise, eh?" she asked the grinning figure of the Doctor.

"Well, you can't be too careful when you deal with ex-girlfriends," he retorted. "I picked up a little something for you on the way home."

She squealed with delight and virtually leapt on him, kissing Tamis and him in equal turns… okay, Tamis might have gotten a few more kisses.

Eventually Tamis could bear it no longer. "I'm getting squished here!" he protested. "Put me down!"

He didn't protest when they continued to hold onto him when the Doctor placed him on the ground; and he tried not to mind when the kiss his parents shared turned from tender to passionate before his very eyes, but it was yucky kissing after all!

The Doctor had his hand entwined in Donna's hair, enjoying a reunion kiss with her when he heard it. It was the sound of jealousy. "Doctor, put that bitch down!" demanded Rose. "If you don't let go I will make you!"

That finally got his attention on her. Rose smiled smugly. He was only looking at her when she brought out the gun she had in the holster held within her belt.

"You don't want to do that, Rose," he calmly told her. Fearing for Donna and Tamis's safety, he released his hold on them and stepped closer to Rose. "Give me the gun."

"And just let you walk away with them? I don't think so, Doctor. You have to choose. It's me or them," Rose stated, still pointing the gun.

The Doctor sadly shook his head. "You could have achieved so much more, Rose Tyler. What happened to you?"

"What do you mean what happened to me?" she asked in shock wonder. "We loved each other and then I fell into that place without you. I vowed I would find a way to get back to you. You used up a star to find me!"

"I used up a dying star to say goodbye," he corrected. "It was the least I could do."

"What do you mean 'least'?" Rose queried. She swept her gaze onto Donna holding Tamis to her closely, and then back to the Doctor. "Are you saying you could have done more?"

His silence said it all.

Rose blinked a few times. "When did you meet her?" She indicated towards Donna with her gun.

"Mere seconds after saying goodbye to you," he admitted.

Rose was stunned. "You mean to tell me that you replaced me within seconds? That you went after the first ginger bitch you spotted?" she raged at him.

"That's my Mum…" Tamis shouted out, but Donna quickly gagged him with her hand.

_I'm really sorry, darling, but it's best we keep out of this one,_ she excused her action.

Tamis kissed her palm clamped on his mouth. _It's okay, Mum. Don't worry about me._ He wrapped an arm around her waist to give her another consoling hug, and she eagerly returned it.

"What's it to be, Doctor? Me or them?" Rose demanded yet again as she took aim at his head.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** I did it! I finally finished this! Sort of... BUT I have the feeling some of you won't be pleased.

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><p><strong>Part 10<strong>

.

"Rose…" The Doctor hadn't been able to say much when Rose's gun shot out of her hand as she was prodded in the head from behind.

Rose was prodded in the head again by the figure of a child, or small person, absolutely covered in grim and carrying one of the guns the guards had been using onboard the ship. Whoever it was they were unrecognisable beneath their unintended disguise. "YOU!" the figure spat out as her whole body went rigid with anger. "How dare you threaten my dad," she stated as she flexed the gun in her hand.

"No, Kate! Don't do this," the Doctor cried out as he recognised her voice. "This isn't the answer." He edged near Rose's abandoned gun and kicked it towards Donna for her to deactivate, keeping eye contact with both Kate and Rose all the time.

"Yes it is," Kate disagreed. Slowly she released the safety catch. "She tried to get Tamis killed. She was horrible to Mum. She blew up the burrow and killed Wanda! Vic said someone should have killed her when we first saw her, and he was right. I hate her."

Rose's eyes beseeched him to rescue her, but he wasn't thinking about her; all he cared about was Kate in that moment. He slowly walked up and placed his hand over the gun. "I know," he said softly. "But this really isn't the way to do it." He grabbed the gun, threw it away to the side, noting with relief that there was no way the gun could have been used by anyone since it was empty of any bullets. He sighed his relief and cradled Kate's head. "Well done, my precious daughter. Why don't you go and say hello to Tamis." He kissed her forehead before releasing her, and Kate shot over to hug and kiss Tamis and Donna who willingly reciprocated.

"Doctor, I…" Rose started to thank him, but he cut her off dead with a glare.

"Don't talk to me," he hissed in anger. "You almost caused a child to commit murder."

He then deliberately left Rose standing alone in the compound.

* * *

><p>Donna had never seen the Doctor act so angry with anyone before. He had ordered the rebels to leave Rose to him to deal with, knowing they wanted to execute her, but he had let them bind her hands together in the meantime. No one was to speak to her or offer her any comfort beyond the food and water rations she was entitled to as a prisoner.<p>

With his family and friends the Doctor was able to act joyous, but with Rose he turned to thunder, not uttering one word of explanation. No one dared protest at her treatment, mainly because no one cared enough to. She had made plenty of enemies amongst the people of the planet, so it wasn't exactly a hardship for most people who viewed her scolded kitten act with contempt.

It had been a long trek back to Small Tundle, where various items were retrieved so that a new settlement could be established. Soon after they were on their way to the TARDIS, which was still standing in one of the tunnels below the burrow. The Doctor had promised to report the misdemeanours of the Q'Larkons to any authority that would listen, and the rebels come settlers believed that he would sort it all out for them. They had a major bargaining chip with the minerals the Doctor had discovered for them to help their cause.

Donna knew that as soon as the small family was back in the TARDIS that the Doctor would deal with Rose. She could feel his anger and indignation rolling off him in waves. With that in mind, she instructed Tamis to go and explore the TARDIS with Kate whilst things could get a little ugly. _Keep well away until I tell you to come back,_ she informed him. Tamis had been only too keen to keep out of the line of fire; he had known this was coming too. Plus he was curious to see his parents' home and learn about her first hand.

With a concerned eye, Donna saw the Doctor circle Rose thoughtfully. If he'd been a cobra she was sure he was getting ready to pounce and inflict venom. The whole atmosphere within the console room dropped by several degrees as he weighed her up. Donna's concern was for the Doctor and the Doctor only. Rose could hang for all she cared, but she didn't want the Doctor to suffer because of this. He didn't deserve to suffer any more after all he had been through.

"Doctor?" Rose whimpered, and shot Donna a look that begged her to intervene.

Donna merely mouthed back, 'Sorry' as her answer. It was the mental image of Tamis held within that box on board the Q'Larkon ship that kept her strong in her convictions. Goodness knew what horrors were keeping the Doctor steadfast.

He moved to the console and punched in some coordinates, keeping his eyes on his task and his face expressionless. When he lifted his face Rose wanted to curl away in terror. She had never seen such anger and cold hatred in his eyes before. It was evident that he couldn't bring himself to speak to her, that gracing her with any words was a comfort he was not prepared to make. Finally she was beginning to accept that it was not going to have the fairy tale ending she wanted and had expected.

When the TARDIS landed, he silently walked over and grabbed the cord binding her hands, as though to touch her offended him deeply.

"Please, Doctor; I'm sorry," she whined and whimpered, to no avail. "If you let me go I promise I'll be good."

There was still no response from him, and her spirits flagged.

He dragged her out of the TARDIS doors and into a landscape she did not recognise in any shape or form. "Where am I?" she demanded. "What is this place?"

"It looks like a scene in that weird film… Being John Malkovich I think it was called," remarked Donna. It was like standing in a small attic room, with low beams and walls that were a bit claustrophobic. All of it was painted a sort of mushroomy pink colour.

Since Donna was the only one offering an answer Rose didn't tell her to shut up. She had no idea what she was on about though. "What happened in that?" she asked Donna.

"Haven't you seen it? They end up going inside the actor's head and live his life through his eyes," Donna explained briefly.

"So I'm inside someone's head?" Rose exclaimed. She couldn't believe this! Surely Donna was making it up.

Donna double-checked with the Doctor to see if it was okay to carry on. It was obvious that he didn't trust himself to speak, didn't want to utter a single word. "It would seem so. But who's?" She stepped forward and peered out of the only window-like aperture. "Whoever it is, they know you," she told Rose. She had clearly seen a girl that was a younger Rose through the window thing.

Rose pressed eagerly forward to look too. "That's me!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Then who…? Oh my God! I'm inside Mum!" This was getting more bizarre by the minute, and Rose had never dealt well with anything surreal.

"That's right. You'll get to feel every single worry, every disappointment, every concern your mum has ever felt about you," Donna stated, relaying what the Doctor had told her.

"Everything?" Rose wondered in horror. "But… Doctor! You can't leave me in here. This isn't right. Mum told me she went through absolute agony when I met up with you and disappeared!"

"That is rather the point," Donna told her calmly. "That is your punishment for treading all over other people's concerns and feelings. This way you will know exactly what it feels like to lose someone who doesn't care enough back."

"Donna, don't let him do this to me! You know what my mum went through," Rose begged, adopting an almost praying stance.

"All too well," Donna snorted with derision. She wasn't convinced at all by this act of Rose's. "The thing is; do _you_?"

"No! And I don't want to," Rose replied honestly. She didn't want to spend an indefinite amount of time in this place all alone without the Doctor. In her mind she should still be entitled to stand by the Doctor's side. She had earned the right to do that.

_She still doesn't get it!_ Donna remarked in bewilderment to the Doctor. _What needs to happen so that she does, for goodness sake?_

_Time, and plenty of it,_ he answered objectively. There was nothing left in him that could feel anything positive towards Rose Tyler. He was amazed to feel a tiny shred inside Donna; he didn't know how she could.

The Doctor took hold of Donna's wrist and started to lead her out.

"Where are you going? Don't leave me! Please! I beg you, Doctor! You love me, not her!" Rose shouted after him, but he took no notice.

The only gesture he made that implied that he had heard her was to momentarily lift Donna's fingers to his lips and briefly kiss the back of her hand. Nothing more.

Without a backwards glance they returned to the TARDIS as Rose continued shouting a tirade of abuse and anger about her predicament.

As the doors closed, the Doctor stood on the ramp dejected before setting them into the Vortex. There was nothing to be said in that moment. Donna knew he would probably eventually take pity on Rose and arrange something else, but for now he needed comfort and escape from his actions. All he needed for now was a loving hug, and Donna gladly supplied it. His healing would continue later.

.

**The end**

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><p><strong>AN2:** I've written **The Boy From The Machine** [aka The DVD Extra] to explain about Tamis and the baby; and **The Baby After The Machine** to expand the ending here.

**A/N3:** Here is a little reader's challenge for you. Obviously I have problems writing anger (I freely admit it, so don't worry), so I challenge you to come up with the speech where the Doctor tells Rose off in this story. So how about it? Go on, have a go...


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